The Registration of Births and Deaths Regulations 1987

Reference to coroner E+W

41.—(1) Where the relevant registrar is informed of the death of any person he shall, subject to paragraph (2), report the death to the coroner on an approved form if the death is one–

(a) in respect of which the deceased was not attended during his last illness by a registered medical practitioner; or

(b) in respect of which the registrar–

(i) has been unable to obtain a duly completed certificate of cause of death, or

(ii) has received such a certificate with respect to which it appears to him, from the particulars contained in the certificate or otherwise, that the deceased was not seen by [F1 the certifying medical practitioner] [F1 a medical practitioner] either after death or within [F2 28 days] before death; or

(c) the cause of which appears to be unknown; or

(d) which the registrar has reason to believe to have been unnatural or to have been caused by violence or neglect or by abortion or to have been attended by suspicious circumstances; or

(e) which appears to the registrar to have occurred during an operation or before recovery from the effect of an anaesthetic; or

(f) which appears to the registrar from the contents of any medical certificate of cause of death to have been due to industrial disease or industrial poisoning.

(2) Where the registrar has reason to believe, with respect to any death of which he is informed or in respect of which a certificate of cause of death has been delivered to him, that the circumstances of the death were such that it is the duty of some person or authority other than himself to report the death to the coroner, he shall either satisfy himself that it has been reported or report it himself.

(3) The registrar shall not register any death–

(a) which he has himself reported to the coroner;

(b) which to his knowledge it is the duty of any other person or authority to report to the coroner; or

(c) which to his knowledge has been reported to the coroner,

until he has received either a coroner’s certificate after inquest or a notification from the coroner that he does not intend to hold an inquest.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in reg. 41(1)(b)(ii) substituted (temp.) (26.3.2020) by virtue of Coronavirus Act 2020 (c. 7), s. 87(2), Sch. 13 para. 6(3)(a) (with ss. 88-90, Sch. 13 para. 8); S.I. 2020/361, reg. 2(a)

F2 Words in reg. 41(1)(b)(ii) substituted (coming into force in accordance with reg. 1(3) of the amending S.I.) by The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/1436), reg. 2(11)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 Reg. 41(1)(a) expiry of earlier affecting provision 2020 c. 7, Sch. 13 para. 4 (25.3.2022) by Coronavirus Act 2020 (c. 7), s. 89 (with s. 90)

C2 Reg. 41(1)(b)(ii) expiry of earlier affecting provision 2020 c. 7, Sch. 13 para. 6 (25.3.2022) by Coronavirus Act 2020 (c. 7), s. 89 (with s. 90)

Commencement Information

I1 Reg. 41 in force at 1.1.1988, see reg. 1